The effect of lead on the phytochemistry of Tithonia diversifolia exposed to roadside automotive pollution or grown in pots of Pb-supplemented soil

Abstract

Tithonia diversifolia, a ruderal weedy species utilized in agroforestry, is widely distributed in the tropics, often being found in wasteland, margins of polluted city rivers and roadsides. The objective of this study was to compare plants sampled at a light and heavy traffic roadside for metal concentration and foliar compounds which may be related to senescence and/or detoxification of metals. The field survey was followed by an experiment in pots of Pb-acetate-supplemented soil to verify if the same response is obtained under controlled conditions with regard to Pb. The concentration of Pb in leaves and roots of plants sampled at a heavy traffic roadside was higher than in samples from a light traffic site. The content of Cr, Al, Fe, Cu and Ni was also higher in leaves but not of roots in plants from the polluted site. No significant differences were found in the concentrations of chlorophyll, carotenoids, UV-absorbing compounds and proteins, nor in the chlorophyll a/b ratio and lipid peroxidation of leaves collected at both sites. On the other hand, Pb-contaminated leaves and roots showed higher acid phosphatase activity while the foliar nitrate reductase activity and specific leaf mass were lower. An increase of leaf phenol concentration, thought to be involved in the detoxification of metals, was observed in the polluted field plants and in roots in the pot experiment, where Pb-acetate was supplied to the soil, but the changes observed in acid phosphatase and specific leaf mass in the field were not found in the pot experiment.